Laundry washing and drying machine

ABSTRACT

A laundry washing and drying machine of small size and low weight, obtained by combining a tub with cut-off corners and a corresponding drum, suspended to damping springs and held in position by friction devices which are situated between the tub and the base. The funnel with the detergent dispenser is independent of the housing.

[ Dec. 23, 1975 United States Patent [191 de Hedouville 4/1961 Behrens et al.

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A w m Mm H F M N U U U U [211 App]. No.: 441,972

Pn'mary Examiner-Harvey C. Hornsby 30 Foreign Application i i Data Assistant Examiner-Philip R. Coe

Feb. 19, 1973 France 73.05802 Agent or Firm-Frank Tnfan; Davld reacy ABSTRACT A laundry washing and drying machine of small size and low weight, obtained by combining a tub with cutoff corners and a corresponding drum, suspended to damping springs and held in position by fn'c'tion de 79... .9 33m s 1 2 62% l, l 88 0- 31 66 2 N 3 R B U FW w 2 6 m4 "I m m m W M Wh 9 m m n m mqm L I C l0 d S U IF 2 N 5 55 .l. [:1

vices which are situated between the tub and the base. The funnel with the detergent dispenser is independent of the housing.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,354,208 7/l944 Haberstump...................... 68/l42 x 2,619.825 i2/l952 Rosenkrans et al. 68/207 x 1 Clam" 4 D'awmg Figures U.S. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet 1 of4 3,927,542

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US. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet20f4 3,927,542

U.S. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet 3 of4 3,927,542

Sheet 4 of 4 3,927,542

Dec. 23, 1975 U8. Patent LAUNDRY WASHING AND DRYING MACHINE The invention relates to a laundry washing and drying machine of the top loading type which comprises a tub with a drum having a horizontal shaft which is sus pended by means of shock-absorbers and which is held in position by means of friction devices, and, a housing which accommodates the assembly, closed at the top by a lid.

Numerous laundry washing-machines are known which all comprise this assembly. It has been attempted not only to manufacture and sell machines at the lowest price, but also to reduce their dimensions. The trend and necessity of incorporating washing machines in kitchen elements have not only necessitated a reduction of the dimensions but also an improvement of the stability. As until now the stability of a machine was dependent on its mass, stable machines are generally heavy. This is a serious drawback during transportation and demands specialized personnel for moving it. Simultaneously with increased stability, the customers demand machines with a higher spin-drying speed (of the order of 1000 rpm. but the higher speed necessitates a better distribution of the laundry, and an imbalance which at a lower speed (for example 600 rpm.) presents no problems at all now becomes very important. The three requirements: stability, low weight, high spin-drying are not entirely compatible, for to improve the stability of a conventional machine, it is necessary that the mass of the tub-drum assembly be substantial.

The dimensions of the machine should not be reduced at the expense of the drum volume of the tub volume, because if the maximum capacity of 5 kg of laundry is to be maintained, said reduction may only affect the external part of the machine, i.e., the housing. The dimensions of the housing in a horizontal plane are defined by the dimensions of the tub, i.e., the overall dimensions including the drive pulley and the bearings which support the drum; and in the vertical plane by the elements which are disposed underneath or against the tub such as the motor or suspension devices. However, for standardization purposes the height and depth are defined with respect to the dimensions of standard kitchen elements, namely 85 cm height and 50 cm depth (distance between the front of the element and the wall). Consequently the only dimension which may be reduced is the width. Said width is directly related to the width of the drum, which dictates that of the tub. However, the housing should not be located very close to the tub and it is necessary to leave a space which is larger than that in which the tub is likely to be displaced under the influence of an imbalance which may occur during spin-drying. The suspension and a damping devices of the tub are disposed so as to limit the movements that may occur in the plane of rotation of the drum (in a plane perpendicular to the drum axis); but displacements owing to an imbalance which is off center relative to the plane of symmetry of the drum occur in a plane which is perpendicular to the plane of rotation and cause the corners of the tub to hit the housing when the distance between the two is not sufficient. i

It is an object of the invention to provide a laundry washing and drying machine whose ratio of the housing width to the drum width is minimal and smaller than that of all currently existing machines, while the ratio of the housing volume to the drum volume is also minimal for given values of the height and depth. The reduction of the dimensions of the washing machine according to the invention is important and is rendered possible by a combination of the characteristics of the tub and a method ofdistributing the laundry, as well as by the reduction of the ratios of the dimensions of the various elements of the machine.

According to the invention a laundry washing and drying machine of the top loading type, which comprises a tub with a drum having a high horizontal shaft, which is suspended by shock-absorbers and held in position by friction devices, and, a housing which accommodates the assembly closed at the top by a lid, comprises, in combination, a tub whose flanks substantially have the shaped of a truncated cone, the free edge of the flank which corresponds to the base of the frustum of the cone being fixed to the cylindrical part of the tub, the central zone of the flank having a concave portion which is directed towards the outside of 0 the tub, which concave portion accommodates the bearing which co-operates with a shaft of the drum, a drum which consists of a cylindrical perforated part and two circular flanks having the shape of a truncated cone, the connection between the cylindrical part and the flanks being made at the base of the frustum of the cone, the angle which the conical part of the drum makes with the plane of the flank being at least equal to that of the conical part of each of the flanks of the tub, the central zone of each of the flanks of the drum having a concave portion which is directed towards the outside of the tub, which concave portions contain the fixing devices for the shafts which co-operates with the bearings of the tub, said tub being suspended to the housing by at least two damping devices, the loading funnel which is integral with the tub being independent of the housing of the machine and closed by a door; a motor which is secured to the tub drives the drum and allows acceleration from the washing speed to the spindrying, while the tub contains the rinsing water.

In the example of said combination the maximum ratio of the housing volume to the drum volume is 4.8 and that of the housing width to the drum width is 1.4.

The detergent dispenser is disposed at the free edge of the door, opposite the side of the door which is provided with the hinge, and opens into the tub through a passage of which one of the sides is constituted by the wall of the funnel.

The following descritions and drawings are given by way of example in order that the invention be more fully understood.

FIG. I is a front view of the machine according to the invention, the front wall of the housing being removed.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section viewed from the right, of FIG. I, a part of the tub and the drum being shown in cross-section in accordance with A.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section of FIG. 2 according to B viewed from the left, the motor being shown completely.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view in accordance with C of FIG. I.

The laundry washing and drying machine according to the invention, of which FIG. I shows a front view with the front wall of the housing removed, comprises a tub I which is loaded from the top, in which a drum 2 (FIGS. 2 and 3) with a horizontal shaft is located. Said tub is suspended by shock-absorbers 3 which the present embodiment are represented by four tension springs which in a known method are attached to the housing. FIG. 4 gives a top plan view in accordance with cross-section C of FIG. I, to show the suspension of the tub to the housing by means of the springs 3. The tub is held in position by friction devices 4 which limit the displacements of the tub. Said friction devices 4 are constituted by a twisted hairpin spring 5 whose ends are provided with pads 6 which at either side engage with a plate 7 fixed to the tub of the machine. A motor 8 which is secured to the lower part of the tub, in any known manner, transmits the rotary movement to the pulley 9 of the drum 2 via the belt 10, which movements are controlled by a manual electrical contactor for a semi-automatic machine or by a timer 11 in the present example. The timer controls the speed of rotation of the motor: low speed for washing; high speed for spin-drying, and also controls the sequence of reversal of the direction of rotation during washing. The motor may be a conventional two-speed motor or a dc. motor which is energized from the ac. mains by a controllable rectifier.

In the present embodiment the electrical control equipment of the machine is mounted on a console. The water draining and supply device is represented in FIGS. 1 and 2 by the electrical pump 12 which has a detachable lid 13 which gives access to the filter. At one side the pump body is connected by a tube 14 to the draining outlet of the tub and at the other side by a tube 15 to the domestic water mains. The water is supplied through a dual electric valve 16 which is controlled by the timer. The tubes 17 and 18 supply both the tub of the machine and the detergent dispenser 19 which is partly shown in cross section in FIG. 2. Heating elements or immersion heaters 20 are located at the bottom of the tub in a projecting part 21 which is provided at the cylindrical part of the tub opposite the opening over which the loading funnel 22 is mounted. The immersion heaters are energized by the timer and the water temperature is controlled by a thermostat 23 which discontinues the heating when the desired temperature isattained.

The loading funnel 22 is attached over an opening in the tub I and is provided with a door 24. At either side of the two opposite surfaces of the loading funnel and in accordance with the drum width balancing weights 25 are secured to the tub by means of tie-rods 26.

The assembly described is accommodated in a housing 27 which is closed at the top by a lid 28.

In the preferred embodiment adopted in the present example, the flanks 29 and 30 (FIGS. l and 3) substantially have the shape of a truncated cone, the free edge of the flank which corresponds to the base of the frustum cone being fixed to the cylindrical part 31 in accordance with the lines 32 and 33 (the fixing devices of the flanks being represented by the connection lines). The central zone of each of the flanks 29 and 30 has a portion 34 and 35 which is concave towards the outside of the drum. The dimensions of said concave portions are such that they completely accommodate the bearings. Only the concave portion 35 has a projecting part: the drive shaft of the drum onto which a pulley 9 is fixed.

The fixing devices 32 and 33 (FIG. 3) are designed so that they do not extend beyond the planes which are defined by the parts of the flanks 29 and 30 which each form the small base of the frusturn of the cone. Said fixing devices are known. existing in two types. Fixing device 32 is an example of sealing by crimping. The edges of the side of the flanks and the cylindrical part 4 which cooperate are formed so as to receive a seal and a crimping channel. The fixing device 33 is obtained by welding the two small flanges which are provided at the free edge of the flank and the cylindrical part of the tub.

The concical part of the tub, which is situated between the planar parts of the flanks 29 and 30 and the cylindrical part 31 should have a sufficient width to ensure that this arrangement is really effective to prevent contact with the housing during displacements of the tub owing to the imbalance of the load of the laundry in the drum.

In order to realize a machine in which the ratio of the housing volume to the drum volume is small, for a given height and depth, the drum should be located as near as possible to the wall of the tub. Consequently, the drum must be adapted to the shape of the truncated cone of the tub surfaces and its flanks 37 and 38 will have the shape of a truncated cone.

The connection between the cylindrical part 39 of the drum 2 and its flanks is made at the base of the frustum of the cone, the angle which the conical part of each of the flanks of the drum makes with the plane of the flank being at least equal to that of the conical part of each to the flanks of the tub. FIG. 3 shows an example in which the angle of the conical part of the drum is greater than that of the conical part of the tub. This angle depends on the fixing method of the flanks to the cylindrical part of the drum.

In the present instance, the flanks are fixed by crimping along a projecting edge. To ensure that said projecting edge does not rub against the walls of the tub, it is necessary that the conical part of the flanks has an angle which is greater than that of the flanks of the tub. In a similar way as the tub, the flanks of the drum have portions 40 and 41 in their central zones which are concave towards the outside of the tub. In said concave part the bearing devices 36 of the drum shafts are accommodated. The bosses of the projecting parts which face the inside of the drum are perfectly smooth and so are not likely to damage the laundry. Apart from the special shape of the flanks of the drum, the drum is provided in a conventional manner with baffles 42 (FIGS. 2 and 3) and a loading door 43. The shape of the tub as well as acceleration of the drum to spin-drying with filled tub allows the dimensions and weight of the machine to be reduced. The method of acceleration known from French Patent Specification No. 2.044.540 allows a reduction of the mass of the tub which a partly represented by the balancing weights 25, a substantial mass being of significance for passing through the critical speed during spin-drying. Accele ration with a filled tub has the additional advantage of a better distribution of the laundry in the drum and consequently of reducing the risk of an imbalance during spin-drying at high speed. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the drive motor is an electronically controlled permanent magnet motor. The speed of such a motor can be automatically controlled so that in the event of persisting imbalance the spin-drying speed is limited to such a value that the amplitudes of the displacements of the tub owing to the imbalance cannot exceed a pre-determined value which is in accordance with the distance between the tub and the balancing wall.

In an embodiment of the invention the ratio of the housing volume to the drum volume is a maximum of 4.8 and. specifically 4.7. The ratio of the housing width to the drum width is a maximum of 1.4, and in the present instance it is 1.29 this corresponds to a distance between the tub and the housing wall, or between the pulley and said wall, of 4.5 cm, which is very small.

In a preferred embodiment of the machine according to the invention and in order to obtain a relatively cheap machine of reduced dimensions, the door 24 of the tub comprises a simple known locking system which cooperates with a part of the door so as to keep the door in engagement with its frame.

In order to prevent movements of the tub owing to the imbalance of the load from being transmitted to the housing of the machine, all mechanical connections of the tub with the chassis have been dispensed with, except for those of the suspensiom springs and the friction devices; the detergent dispenser 19 is therefore mounted at the free edge of the door 24 of the tub, which edge is disposed opposite that provided with the hinge 44, and opens into the tub through a passage 45. In one embodiment, a wall of the dispenser constitutes the wall of the funnel 46 and provides watertight sealing with the tub. The second wall of said passage is formed by a separate part 47 which in fact forms the loading funnel.

In another embodiment the funnel and the detergent dispenser consists of a single part which is obtained by molding from a thermoplastic material, certain compartments of the dispenser being obtained by fitting plates into grooves in a known manner.

What is claimed is:

1. A laundry machine of the top loading type comprising a housing having an opening in a top surface for loading and removing articles, lid means for covering the opening, a tub, a drum mounted in the tub for rotation about a horizontal axis. means for suspending said tub within said housing by shock absorbing devices and for positioning said tub by friction devices, means for driving the drum in different directions and at different speeds, and means for supplying and removing water from the tub, wherein said tub comprises a loading funnel portion extending toward said opening and having an open end aligned with said opening, a door hingedly connected to the funnel at an upper end thereof for covering said open end, and means for dispensing detergent disposed adjacent a free edge of said open end, said dispensing means having a first side constituted by a wall of the funnel forming one side of a passage opening into the tub, said passage comprising a second side formed by one surface of a partition whose other surface constitutes a wall of the actual clothes-guiding portion of the funnel. 

1. A laundry machine of the top loading type comprising a housing having an opening in a top surface for loading and removing articles, lid means for covering the opening, a tub, a drum mounted in the tub for rotation about a horizontal axis, means for suspending said tub within said housing by shock absorbing devices and for positioning said tub by friction devices, means for driving the drum in different directions and at different speeds, and means for supplying and removing water from the tub, wherein said tub comprises a loading funnel portion extending toward said opening and having an open end aligned with said opening, a door hingedly connected to the funnel at an upper end thereof for covering said open end, and means for dispensing detergent disposed adjacent a free edge of said open end, said dispensing means having a first side constituted by a wall of the funnel forming one side of a passage opening into the tub, said passage comprising a second side formed by one surface of a partition whose other surface constitutes a wall of the actual clothes-guiding portion of the funnel. 